Defendant Denies Killing Teenager by Pushing Her Off Bridge

May 25, 2026 | News On Japan

HOKKAIDO, May 25, 2026 - A woman accused of killing a high school girl by causing her to fall from a bridge in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, denied having intended to kill the victim as her trial opened at the Asahikawa District Court on May 25th.

Riko Uchida, 23, who has been indicted on charges including murder, is believed to have entered the courthouse while avoiding an area where members of the media had gathered.

More than 300 people formed a long line from the morning of May 25th seeking one of the 23 available seats in the courtroom for the first hearing.

According to the indictment and other documents, Uchida, an unemployed resident of Asahikawa, is accused of confining a 17-year-old high school girl in the city's Kamuikotan area in 2024, forcing her to remove her clothes and causing her to fall from a bridge to her death.

Uchida has been charged with indecent assault resulting in death and unlawful confinement.

At the opening hearing on May 25th, Uchida denied the murder charge and other parts of the indictment, telling the court: "I did not intend to kill her, and I did not cause her to fall from the bridge."

The trial will continue from May 26th, with a ruling scheduled to be handed down on June 22nd.

Source: FNN

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